December 14

December 14

1875 — The first meeting of the New England Psychological Society was held at Worcester, Massachusetts. Pliny Earle, superintendent of the Northampton Lunatic Hospital, was elected president. On March 26, 1907, the association’s name was changed to the New England Society of Psychiatry.

1891 — William James’s book Psychology: Briefer Course was published. The book served as a university text for decades and is still on most reading lists of great books.

1921 — James Deese was born. Deese has specialized in psycholinguistics and the experimental psychology of learning. Deese’s Psychology of Learning (1952) and Psycholinguistics (1970) are authoritative texts that reflect his expertise.

1922 — Roy Schafer was born. Schafer, a psychologist and psychoanalyst, has carried out influential work in diagnostic assessment with projective tests and in the revision of fundamental psychoanalytic concepts. He provided some of the first constructive critiques of the psychoanalytic psychology of women. APA Award for Distinguished Professional Contributions, 1982.

1951 — Psychologist Louis Gellermann was convicted in Seattle of using sexual intercourse in an attempt to cure three of his female clients of their “guilt complexes.”

1956 — A constituent assembly met to organize the Psychological Society of the Russian Soviet Federal Socialist Republic Academy of Pedagogical Sciences. The Society was officially founded on December 24, 1957.

1957 — The first oral examination for a license to practice psychology in Arkansas was administered. The oral examination was preceded by a written examination on October 12, 1957. Seven applicants were issued licenses after these first examinations.

1972 — The Asian American Psychological Association was founded. Stanley Sue organized the founding meeting, and Derald Sue was elected the first president.

1974 — Statistician Adolphe Quételet appeared on a postage stamp issued by Belgium.

1976 — The drug Centrax (prazepam; Parke-Davis) was approved for use by the U.S. Food and Drug Administration. Prazepam is a benzodiazepine used as an antianxiety agent and as a sedative.